Aria's eyebrow arched. "That's her?" "Do you know her?" Lettie asked. Aria's eyes settled on a photo of the mistress in a traditional Krowonian outfit. Slowly, she said, "I've seen her posts before." "She's a cosplayer, right?" Lettie set down her milk. "At first, I was shocked too. I thought I was imagining things until she confronted me personally. That was when I confirmed that she's the one." Aria's eyes darkened. "Some people need harsher lessons." Lettie agreed, "I was too cautious before and not confident enough." "Lettie, I wasn't talking about you. I meant myself." Looking down, Aria's fingers flew across the keyboard while typing something. She had not expected one trip through the manifestation to change someone's personality. In the end, the selfish ones would remain selfish. But something caught her attention. The chosen ones in the manifestation might not be what she had thought. If each person there corresponded to those with vengefulness from the present
"A divorce trial is the quickest way there is." Aria scanned her phone. "I've seen your browser history. You've been researching divorce for a while. But you held back because people might gossip about Daisy for having to choose sides in court. "She doesn't understand you, but I do." Aria's smile was genuine. "You remind me of my mother. You're both remarkable women. "You'd never give up despite circumstances, nor would you pass negative values to your children. You'd fight for even the slimmest chance." Aria turned the laptop back to Lettie after preparing the content to post. "The choice is yours. You can keep this as leverage for more power in the Hendricks family or let them have a taste of what you've experienced." Lettie had never expected to regain control. She had thought Aria would judge her weak for not divorcing. But instead, Aria completely respected her choice. Lettie smiled and hit the spacebar. It was then posted on all platforms. "I don't want revenge. I just
Paxton received a call from Amara. Puzzled, he answered. Amara screeched, "Your ungrateful wife wants a divorce!" "Really? Did she say this herself?" Paxton was not stupid—something just felt off. Amara put her hand on her hip. "She's gotten bold and somehow managed to latch onto the Carvers! Not just divorce, she's claiming she wrote those novels too!" Alone at home, Amara dropped her usual façade. "Ridiculous! Everyone knows that's your work. This little tramp needs a lesson. Call her! "Stop asking me to play nice for appearances. Make her beg for my forgiveness on her knees. Paxton, you should see how arrogant she's gotten with that Carver girl backing her." Of everything said, only one thing caught Paxton's attention. "Carver girl? Isn't that the richest family in Janovin?" "Yes, Lettie's left with her." Amara fumed. "They showed me zero respect! You should just divorce her outright. Since you and Celestia are so good together, just let her give the Hendricks family a
"You'd handle it? You promised to confront her last month, but did you?" Celestia scrolled through her phone. "I'm an influencer with two million followers! What will happen to my job if people find out about my complicated love life?" Her eyes reddened. "My parents keep asking about this too. My family's well-off, and I'm an art school graduate. We could go back to my home if we don't want to stay in Janovin. But you still won't divorce her. What am I supposed to tell my parents?" Hearing that, Paxton pulled her close. "I know you've suffered a lot. Let's buy you another bag. It's not that I don't want to divorce. Something's odd here. Lettie's not the concern, but I don't want to offend the Carvers." Celestia dabbed her barely wet eyes. "The Carvers wouldn't care about things like this, would they? It's got nothing to do with them. But you're right to worry. Maybe you should ask around." "My thoughts exactly." Paxton's face hardened. "And the novel must be credited as mine. I
Aria might as well say Landon had period cramps! Percy's features were naturally mischievous. Whenever he raised his gold-rimmed glasses, he looked refined yet roguish. It felt like he had not said anything when he actually had. Though he had heard from Leon that Aria really liked Landon, as her brother, Percy's feelings about her love life were complicated. Landon chuckled softly before letting out a few coughs. "I've been in poor health. I hope you'll understand, Percy." Percy was speechless as he thought, "Stop pretending! Did you forget I was there when you devoured those companies? You didn't look sick then! Taking a deep breath, Percy remembered his purpose here. He turned to the pregnant Lettie. "Generally, I would advise against divorce trials. Both parties should discuss it together if possible. An out-of-court settlement is best." He added, "It's for your benefit. Given your pregnancy, judges might deny the divorce or mandate a cooling period. Based on current evi
"Actually, I've rarely seen Don. Even when he came back just recently, he only stayed for three or four days before he moved to the dorms. He hates being disturbed, especially while researching history. The university library is his favorite place, and he never involves himself in family matters." "Does he never involve himself, or is he ignoring them on purpose?" Landon's precise question came in a smooth tone. Aria had wondered the same thing. Lettie was never one to complain. "He's really someone who would avoid mundane matters. Not just with me—he rarely sees any relatives. Amara handles all that. He's not sociable, but he always tells Paxton to take me to visit my family more whenever he visits." Percy looked up. "Have you told Don about your husband's affair?" "No." Lettie's lips pursed bitterly. "I haven't had the chance." Aria tapped her phone screen while considering her next moves. Just then, Lettie's phone rang. She frowned at the display. "It's Paxton." "Record
Even if Paxton would not admit it, there was no way he could deny the affair now. Though the photos sent to Lettie were anonymous, all their couple photos were visible on Celestia's social media. Paxton never imagined Lettie would find his alternate account. Women could have detective-like intuition about affairs. With Aria's help, finding evidence was not difficult. Lettie nodded to Aria. She gripped something and finally spoke, "Is that all you wanted to say? Will you even believe yourself?" She avoided mentioning the novel rights as she took it step by step. This way, Paxton would not be too guarded. "I swear to god I'm not lying!" Sure enough, Paxton thought he could smooth-talk his way out. His eyes shifted. "Lettie, I know you've been home too long. After years without work, you worry about losing touch and start imagining things. But you know me; I love you too much to ever betray you. "As for Mom, she's already old, and she's born in a different era. Be patient with h
Lettie then mentioned the most important point, "Perfect timing. You can explain to your mother that you helped me type my novel, too." "Of course!" Paxton agreed instantly, still treating her like a naïve housewife without realizing her plan. "I'll go now, Lettie. I'll explain everything to Mom. Let's keep the rest between us. You know how powerful the Carvers are." "Good. So you've admitted that you only typed my novel while the writing was mine." Lettie hung up immediately, giving him no chance to respond. Paxton froze for a moment, and then his eyes widened. He threw his phone down. "Damn it! That stupid woman was trapping me!" Clutching his hair, Paxton's face contorted with unprecedented rage. Even Percy was impressed. He gave Lettie a thumbs up. Still breathing heavily from tension, Lettie took a drink of water after ending the call. "He's deceived me countless times. I had to learn and fight fire with fire." "Marvelous!" Aria beamed. "That's exactly right!" Lett
Warren's eyes reddened as he gazed at Fergus, the grandson he had once hoped to raise personally. In that moment, he felt his life had been worthwhile. As one grew older, they came to understand a fundamental truth—if their descendants could grasp their thoughts, rather than dismissing the ways of the past as irrelevant, it was something to celebrate. Warren could now pass on everything to his grandchildren, finally feeling worthy within the Carver family.…Meanwhile, Leon furrowed his brows in the second-floor bedroom. "What are they talking about?""It's probably about Ludwiten. They have some business to settle. Why?" Aria had intentionally given Fergus and Warren some time to talk. As for her, she stayed with Leon in his room, playing games and snacking.When she heard his question, she smiled. "Are you interested as well, Leon?""I'm not cut out for business." Leon couldn't sit still and kept pacing back and forth. His silver hair, falling perfectly, made him look like a
That night, Warren stood before the memorial hall and spoke to his ancestors."Aria will be returning to Ludwiten tonight. Things will be different this time. There will be many obstacles ahead of her, but we must return eventually. Aria will finish what I couldn't. Please protect her."The Carver family was forced to shift their business from Ludwiten to Janovin at the time. And back then, they believed they could return at any moment. Yet, over 70 years had passed since then.Both Warren and Stephen were sentimental individuals, always hoping to return to Ludwiten. However, circumstances had shifted over the years. Moreover, the business landscape in Ludwiten had grown increasingly complex, with rising foreign investments. Their commitments in Janovin, especially after Owen married Fiona, kept them from returning.Warren had expected Owen to stay in Ludwiten, as he had promised the Grisham family. But Owen broke that promise.Warren's greatest wish had always been to return to
Although the crow was unsure of its owner's thoughts, it was indeed afraid of the dagger made out of Oracle bones.In fact, it wasn't made of ordinary animal bones. It was from the Oracle, one of the Four Perils. Most importantly, it carried spiritual energy from heaven and earth.Back then, the crow didn't expect the insignificant sect, which was consistently at the bottom of each tournament, to have the purest spiritual energy. Plus, all of their members were not to be underestimated. The crow would have never believed it if it hadn't come to live in the mountains with Landon. After all, Landon was bewitched to become the woman's boy toy. He stayed behind only because he liked the sect's spiritual energy. At that, the crow shifted its body and didn't continue to disturb Landon. Since Landon mentioned he needed the knife sheath, the crow would go and get it. Apart from the curved dagger in the wooden box, there was also a somewhat inconspicuous emerald and a turtle shell-lik
The box included a protective membrane. Carrying bones around would raise questions in modern days. Even Aria worried about inspections. Sometimes, Tobias acted just like those arcane seekers from Mount Dracotigris. When her fingertips touched it, heat surged through her bloodline. The blade felt like it belonged in her hands; even its tassel was exquisitely crafted. But she remembered something when she entered the manifestation and got the Soul-Summoning Plaque. She had been an arcane seeker in her past life, hadn't she? Could an arcane seeker use a blade? She had mostly seen them wielding swords, just like those TV shows with flying swordsmen. Perhaps she had to use a blade because she came from a smaller guild. As Aria traced the bone blade, her initial attraction grew into fascination. Tobias wouldn't leave her just any blade. Since she'd encountered it in the manifestation, it must be connected to her. "Do you like it?" Suddenly, Landon's voice came close. It was low,
Breaking the Eight Trigrams Manifestation required precision instead of force. The path led from the East Gate of Life through the Southwest Gate of Rest, finally striking through the North Gate of Opening. But this was not just about breaking a manifestation. The lock had eight marks—Life, Rest, Harm, Block, Vision, Death, Awakening, and Opening. These were the eight gates within the manifestation. As Aria studied the corresponding numbers, she was suddenly struck with inspiration. Following the sequence, she pressed them. The lock then opened with a click. She raised an eyebrow, recognizing the familiar combination. "0715, my birthday." Aria casually opened the box. "Typical of Mr. Revelare to choose that date." She knew she was born on Twilight Hallows, a day when parents would urge children home early. Owen had always believed Aria's birth signs were not the best, and he thought this was likely because of this day. People considered it the Day of Spirits. On this day, a
Earlier, Aria had really wanted to keep some family ties for Georgina. After all, Georgina had given Aria all the love meant for her granddaughter, Lily. When the Kents drove her out, Aria had seen Georgina staring at a pair of handmade baby booties. She had made them herself and wanted to give them to Lily. But Karen had scorned them and did not even allow her to see the child. Aria knew Georgina still yearned to see Lily. Blood ties were different. Aria could approach everything else with logic, but not Georgina. When everyone else abandoned her, Georgina stayed. She always said, "We can't let Aria go hungry. Of course, she needs school. Whatever Aria wants, we'll save up for it. The same goes for Sam." Everyone had their weak spots, and for those they loved, anyone would surely lower their defenses. After all, they still held on to hope. Though Georgina never said it, Aria understood she'd held hope for Lily. That was why Aria had not been harsh enough with Lily. But tha
Lily definitely had not learned her mistake—there must be more to it. Though Aria had investigated, nothing turned up. Now she understood why Lily kept coming here. Aside from using Georgina's connections, she was after what was in the box. "Grandma, the first layer wasn't locked. Do you know what was inside?" Of course Georgina knew. "When the old priest gave me the box, he said anyone could read the books about medicine and the arcane in the first layer, especially you. They were all rare copies." Everything suddenly connected in Aria's mind. No wonder Lily's skills seemed endless; this explained it. Aria turned to Georgina. She preferred to be direct, so she said, "Grandma, I think I know who took them. Recently, a few people visited your place, but there was one you knew well—Lily. She's been using these medical texts to treat people. "Her medical skills are fine, but I worry she's misusing the arcane books for personal gain." Georgina swayed slightly at these words. Li
"Christian was your whole world back then, so it wasn't strange you wanted to give him gifts." Though Georgina preferred not to mention him, this particular item must have been precious for Aria to consider giving it away. After explaining, her mood lightened. "I'm glad you realized what you wanted and didn't let the Kent family engagement bind you. I planned to give this to you on your first day of university since that's what the priest requested. But I feel now's the right time." Georgina had wanted to mention this during their last meeting. But Aria had looked so exhausted then, so she'd wanted to let Aria rest. By morning, Aria had already left. With Aria's upcoming trip to Ludwiten and not knowing when they would meet again, Georgina's main concern was returning these items. Aria was really curious about what they might be. Since Georgina said it was left by the old priest who used to visit her, Aria was sure it was from Tobias. She never knew he had left anything for her
"Seeing Aria like this brings me so much joy." Georgina set down her fan and took a pill, her breathing gradually steadying. Landon observed her condition without surprise. He certainly saw more than Aria did. But fate's secrets were not meant to be revealed; everyone had their own path. All he could do was ask, "Should we tell her about your condition?" "And have her worrying about me while handling everything else?" As she spoke, Georgina waved dismissively. "Managing the Carver Group means there are countless employees depending on her. "Last time I saw her, she was falling asleep sitting up. She already worries too much about me, and I know why. It's because of my granddaughter Lily." Georgina lowered her gaze, smiling. "You know the situation with the Kents. I couldn't survive in Southbury then with everyone pointing fingers and calling me a wicked mother-in-law. They said I had blood on my hands. "But Aria stood by me without judgment. Only then could I come to Janovi